December 9, 2010
Beth Dickey
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2087
beth.dickey-1@nasa.gov@nasa.gov
Gray Creech
Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.
661-276-2662
gray.creech-1@nasa.govRELEASE: C10-076
NASA SELECTS BOEING FOR ADVANCED AIRCRAFT VEHICLE CONCEPTS
WASHINGTON -- NASA has awarded a third contract for studies designed
to identify advanced concepts for airliners that could enter service
in 2025, fly with less noise, cleaner exhaust and lower fuel
consumption. NASA refers to technology that is two generations more
advanced than what is on aircraft in service today as "N+2."
A team led by The Boeing Company of Huntington Beach, Calif., was
selected for a contract worth $5.29 million. The contract has a
performance period of one year beginning this month.
As part of the same research effort, NASA previously awarded contracts
worth $2.99 million and $2.65 million to teams led by Lockheed Martin
in Palmdale, Calif., and Northrop Grumman in El Segundo, Calif.
A key objective of the N+2 research is to ensure the technological
elements proposed for meeting NASA's noise, emissions and fuel burn
reduction goals can be integrated on a single aircraft that could
operate safely within a modernized air traffic management system. The
research contracts will identify innovations that will provide the
necessary technologies to industry for development and flight
demonstrations to support entry into service in the 2025 time frame.
The Boeing team will define a preferred system concept for an aircraft
that can achieve speeds up to 85 percent of the speed of sound, cover
a range of nearly 7,000 miles and carry between 50,000 and 100,000
pounds of payload, either passengers or cargo.
NASA's Environmentally Responsible Aviation Project sponsors the
studies. The project is part of the Integrated Systems Research
Program managed by the agency's Aeronautics Research Mission
Directorate in Washington.
The project is working to develop technology that would enable future
aircraft to burn 50 percent less fuel than today's most efficient
models, with 50 percent fewer harmful emissions; and to shrink the
size of geographic areas affected by objectionable airport noise by
83 percent.
For more information about NASA’s Environmentally Responsible Aviation
Project, visit:
http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/isrp/era/index.htm
For information about NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate,
visit:
http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov
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